Elliott Harry Image 1 Derbyshire 1921

Description

Scarcliffe, Derbyshire born wicket-keeper Harry Elliott played cricket for his local club at Scarcliffe and later at Shirebrook where Derbyshire bowler Billy Bestwick was playing. In 1913 he obtained a job as a groom at Wiseton Hall in North Nottinghamshire, the home of Sir Joseph Laycock, where he looked after the cricket ground and played for Laycock’s team. When the First World War broke out he joined the artillery battery Laycock commanded, the 1/1st Nottinghamshire Royal Horse Artillery, and was sent to Egypt. After the War Sir Archibald White, formerly captain of Yorkshire, was playing at Wiseton and was so impressed with Elliott that he sought to recruit him for Yorkshire. However the rule of birthplace prevented this, so he went instead to his native Derbyshire.

Elliott played his first first-class match for Derbyshire against Essex in June 1920. He quickly took over as wicketkeeper from George Beet. He appeared in 194 consecutive Derbyshire matches up to July 1928, when selection for the Old Trafford Test match against West Indies broke the sequence. He subsequently he made 232 consecutive appearances up to 1937 when injury intervened. and continued playing for Derbyshire every year until 1939, being a member of the team when Derbyshire won the County Championship in 1936.

He played in four Tests for England, making his debut against South Africa at Durban in February 1928, and played against the West Indies in 1928 and twice against India at Bombay and Chennai in the 1933-34 tour under under Douglas Jardine’s captaincy. He took 8 catches and made 3 stumpings at Test level. and made a highest score, batting at No. 10, of 37 not out against India at Bombay in December 1933 to allow England to rack up 438 in their first innings on the way to victory.

After the Second World War already in his mid 50’s, he played four matches for Derbyshire in 1947, having been appointed their coach, sometimes playing together with his nephew Charlie Elliott. In his 532 first class match career, Elliott claimed 1206 victims with 903 caught and 303 stumped, at that time a total that had only been exceeded by four other keepers. He holds several Derbyshire wicket-keeping records: most dismissals (a) in a season – 90, (b) in a match – 10, (c) in an innings – 6 (three times); most stumpings in a season – 30. In 1935 he allowed no byes in 25 completed innings. With the bat he averaged 13.93, scoring 11 half centuries with a top score of 94 against Leicestershire at Loughborough in 1933, sharing a stand of 222 with Leslie Townsend to set up a new record for the third wicket, although being mainly rated an excellent man in a crisis rather than an out and out batsman.

Elliott later became an umpire and officiated in seven Test matches between 1950 and 1953. His nephew Charlie Elliott was also an umpire from 1957 to 1974.

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